Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-30

Blk cavalry regiments 50 Close TO-
gether, they should not be exercised
oftaner in movements OF mble, or
he made to man9uvre by brigades
the one against the other, or that
Gen. Lardeur does not initiate the ex-
ample of Gen. de Boisdenmetz,
with his four infantry regiments at
Nancy, where the men are never sure
of a full nights rest, so constantly
Ices he resort To the experiments OF
night alarms and bivouac duty. Asl
one of the Dolonels at Lupeville said
in my hearing shortly ago; 1--WE are
very quiet and comfortable and we
ought not to be, so close are we TO the
frontier? There is another point also
where the sudden inception OF hostll-
tiles might catch the French a-napplng
| refer 10 the matter OF transformation
of the infantry armament, III Whlch
General Boulanger had taken certain
measures which the great Ferroy.
would have thought it derogatlon OF
dignity not to modify. Convinced
that the Gray rifle, which ior about
thirteen years had been considered
the ne plus ultra Of breech-loaders,
was not UP to the mark, series Of
experiments OF o repeating system
presented by Colonel Lebel were
made at Bourges, Chalo ms and Yer
Sailles with such remarkable re-
suits that Colonel Gras was
despatched TO America last Spring
to study and purchase the machinery
necessary to lis manufacture. About
the same date other tests were made
at Bourges and the Malmaison with
meliniie, the new explosive, if all
that is attributed to its effects be true,
must revolntionize the science OF de-
| fensive warfare. Shells making craters
four feet deep and seven feet in cir
eumference would soon destroy any
fortifcation unprovided with Il revet-
armor of beton or granite, ergo,
not only must the infantry be com
pletelv re-armed, but the French fort
resses must be protected, and for this,
said General Boulanger, want an ap-
preparation OF three hundred millions.
That's a great deal of money an
swered the Deputies. but we should
| not so much mind that ii it were not
that Bismarck might take unibrage !;
| but il YOU can manage in some way
to carry out your plans without a reg
ular appropriation perhaps such a
thing as a bill of indemnity might be,
voted afterward. Ferry so worked
the sracle about Tonquin. And he did
likewise; he accepted the 20 600 900
! covertlv accorded, and made contracts
for SO 000f. for the construction of bar
racks and of earthworkS. ETC., at Toul-
ouse, Belfort, Verdun and Nice, as those
enterprises were urgent, and the was
a general feeling Of gratitude for the
Minister, who in such redoubtable cir
cumstances ventured to assume such
heavy responsibilities. His sue
cessor, as have said, pro-
ceeded to modify this budget
instead OF the 70 100000 francs
asked by Boulanger for the arma
ment of the infantry and the artillery
and the 60, ,000,0 ,000f. for Notifications
Ferron declared that $4,000 000f
would suffice for the first and 36,000,'
0O0f. for the second, for which he
gained much praise, although his
economy is purely fictions. as the 55,
OO0, ,0eOf. which are struck from this
years budget will appear in the bulge
. of next year. But the report got wine
that the manufacture of the Lebe
repeater was to be stopped, and
, whether founded on fact or not, made
such hubbub and was go exploited
, by the Radicals that the Minister ha
been forced to publish an official not
: to the effect that, SO far from interrupt
ing the work. the Tulle and st. Etienn
> factories were turning out from 1000 t
t 1900 rifles per diem, ana the neN
. weapon can be distributed next Ian
! uary, when the contractors would b
, piid for their work.
}, As to the Pralon rifle, its inventor
@ protege of General Ferron, will b
{ obliged to wait awhile for its adoption
, The I1ebel arm has great qualities G
ii precision to recommend it, and though
, the Pralon may be the arm OF to-moi
, row the genius of inventors never rest
idle, and il we can believe what tn
Swiss say, Professor Hebler OF Zurich
has elaborated another rife which
according to algebraic calct lation-
| and that, yeu know, cannot be dis
, cussed throws everything ye
+ dreamed of into the shade. Mean
, while the entire Frenrh active arm
. will have the Lebel by the end c
, the year. while the territorials vii
) keep for the present the tiras, whicl
$ if necessary can very easily be trans
> formed into magazine rifle. In short
3 so far as its armament goes, tn
, French army will be all right, thougl
r I am not easy in my mind about it
: ability to concentrate rapidly, an
3 still less 80 as to the ability OF it
? probable commanders, very few O
: whom during the recent man9uvre
: displayed anything OF a nature TO III
t spire confidence.
To return to the recent incident O
, which l said "it will have been set
) tied, etc., etc." see that the foreigl
t press generally seems to consider a.
: already settled, and yet nothing il
, less correct. Tie Government ha
been assured of the recognition il
principle of an indemnity to the fam
ily of the victim by the Germans
, who have expressed their regrets
etc., over which the Figaro gloat
with triumphant joy. But this doe
} not at all dispose OF the question, o
when the delicate point is: Wha
will he the proceedings against th'
, soldier Kauffmann, how will he bt
, punished, or will he be punished a
all? More excuses and the pay
ment of an indemnity are not enough
to prevent the repetition OF simulal
, offenses. If Germany does not sane
, ton her disavowal of an act committed
by one of her sol liiers in uniform by
some exemplary chastisement Of the
offenders, the tension will not be sc
; much dimished as optimists pretend
A few words about the letter of the
, Count de Paris: 1t certainly did pro
duce "stupefcation" that any one moi
, an acknowledged idiot should have
signed document which has simply
! disintegrated the Conservative party
Except by the GduloiS and the Solett